


Blue Veins over Red Blood

by StainedGlassDreams



Series: Earth, Please Come In, Over [26]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Cuddling, F/M, Memories, Nightmares, h/c
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 15:22:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4397078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StainedGlassDreams/pseuds/StainedGlassDreams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James has another rough night, frustration getting under his skin as he tries to tell himself that he deserves this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blue Veins over Red Blood

He woke up.

"Hey, hey, you're okay."

The dream faded as the night came in.  
Natalia. His breaths catching up.  
He was home.  
Home, not 3,000 miles away.

Natalia touched his arm gently, her eyes worried. "...Hey. ...You alright?"  
Silence sat before he spoke. "....Cohesive.", he replied.  
She smirked. "Well you're kidding, so I shouldn't be worried."  
He chuckled softly, quiet as prop for prolonging the inevitable question. "....How bad?"  
"Neither of us has bruises James, so it was fine. ...You woke yourself up out of it before anything happened."

Small mercies.

"Where were you?" She asked, cutting through the dark of their bedroom, her touch being the one thing keeping him here. Tether to a balloon that could go high enough to pop.  
"....Nowhere." He answered automatically, already knowing she wouldn't believe it. Nor would he, really.  
She paused before answering, "[You can lie to everyone, but not to me.]" her eyes never leaving his face.  
A look that asked "Why're you hiding if we both can stop?"  
This had been the 3rd night of a bad God-for-saken week. His mind went back. Triggered by a mission earlier this week that begged for fuel.  
Giving water to the parched demons in his head that he tried hard to dehydrate. Rather have seen them perish.  
Taking away his compass, every time he finally saw North. 

She knew he couldn't answer, to no surprise as she took his hand & gently pulling him out of the bed, into the kitchen.  
Natasha brewed the coffee quietly, lessening the noise from the steam. Making the whistle into a slight hum as the scent filled the air.  
"So, tell me." Natalia said as she gave his cup, grounding him as time near halted, gesturing as she leaned on the other side of the countertop. "...Where were you?"  
"[Egypt. ...Some high government official. His Father didn't do what they wanted.]" He swallowed. "[.....Had to send a message.]". Drank some of the coffee, the words tasting revolting. Made worse because the taste was familiar.

Natalia walked over to him, sitting beside him, her coffee a prop for them both. "[& you woke up back here. So what does that say?]"  
He looked over to her, her eyes speaking, a language only they gratefully could understand.  
She leaned in, "You're here, James Buchanan Barnes. You remember, because nothing can change that."  
They leaned in to kiss, her lips bringing the black & white world into vivid twilight color again.

They pulled away softly, James speaking as their heads touched. "The coffee's gonna tempt me now."  
"Good," she said as she smirked. "I was planning on watching terrible movies to it with somebody." Natasha replied as they walked to the sofa, he putting his arm around her.  
"Good thing I'm here then."  
She leaned her body against his. "Wasn't planning on being with anyone else."

He was home.


End file.
